Vermetid snail conclusion

[goldmaniac]

I just ran a thorough search on vermetid snails. For anyone unfamiliar with them, they're 1/4" long tubes that grow out of live rock, looking like tiny featherduster tubes, that will extend a web out, and irritate and in some cases KILL corals.

I looked at 28 threads on them, between 2006 and 2009, and nobody has any answers.

I decided to report on my RC searches:

random experiences of reefers observing these animals eating vermetids (only one reefer instance each)

zebra-legged hermit crab
narissus snail (sp?)
copperband butterfly

***only one reefer experience found success with each of these three animals **

other suggestions:
6-line wrasse
lunare wrasse
other hermit crabs (blue leg, scarlet, etc)
** vast majority of reports said these are not successful in eliminating vermetids **

as for me, they're killing my zoas. i have multiple 'donuts' of zoas when a vermedid springs up in the middle of a colony or frag. kills all zoas around it. leaves the resulting donut.

I'd ask for help - but i'm afraid there's no reef-safe predator out there. i have too many to glue them or manually crush them all with needle-nose pliers. they're all over, and on the underside of my live rock. can't get them all. never.

Eric G.

[Anemonebuff]

My cleaner shrimp eats them. I see the sixline pick at them but it doesn't seem to get a lot of them if any. Copperbands might, but they are not totally reef safe either. You could try the cleaner shrimp L. ambeonesis or maybe even peppermint shrimps, along with glueing/breaking.

[goldmaniac]

a skunk cleaner shrimp? i have a big one in there. just last night i was watching him hunt on the live rock, witnessed him chow down on something out of a live rock hole (a pod), but walk past the vermetids.

not telling you that you're wrong, just that mine isn't doing the j-o-b

but thanks, i'll try another specimen,whenever my skunk gets large, i buy a another one, a small one, and the big one always croaks soon after. worth a shot.

and maybe some peppermint shrimp, as well.

thanks,

Eric G.

[Zeus2]

I'm lost on this issue as well. I constantly fight it. I fail miserably.

[GT_Jacket]

I "cooked" my rock at the beginning of the year and took the time to scrape/break hundreds of these off. Within 6 months they are returning as strong as ever. I'm about to swap rock for BRS Eco, but have these on my corals and back glass.

Bump for any new info -

[cubsFAN]

I have posted past experiences with my melanarus wrasse eating them. He has almost wiped out my entire 75 gallon display of them in less than 6 mos. They were a problem for me in the past. I have a love hate relationship with this fish as he destroys as many favorable critters as he does with my vermitiid and flatworm problems. He also eats my hermits and snails and flips over frags in the sand. I think wrasses from the haliochores family will eat them, but I don't believe they can be considered reef safe. I also don't trust any "trusted" problem solvers in tanks. So many things in this hobby are hit or miss.

[GT_Jacket]

Thanks. I'm running Zeovit and checking with them if it is okay to run w/o a CUC.

I might have my LFS order 1 each Halichoeres and Chyrsus. I still going to switch my rock out (for other reason too), but these bugger are on the back glass, frags, corals, etc. I just don't want them to get a hold of my new rock...

Will the wrasses nip on SPS/LPS?

Thanks,
Brett

[GT_Jacket]

Oh... got a BTA too, but willing to loose him if the wrasses have a taste for nem's. Clowns have not hosted in it yet.

[skibum9884]

I agree with cubsFAN, I have a Halichoeres rubricephalus that I believe has taken them out. In terms of being "reef safe" it depends what you mean. It seems they're not so safe with small inverts, but mine hasn't bothered any corals and I don't keep any small shrimp or crabs. I do notice snails occasionally flipped over in the sand (usually alive), but I've noticed this before acquiring the wrasse too.

While my experience may not apply to other fish, I love my Halichoeres and think it is worth a shot if you have an appropriate system for them.

There is also a thread devoted especially to this genus in the "Reef Fish" section.

[bobbychullo]

ive read Halichoeres chrysus (yellow/golden wrasse) will eat them. my tank may be too small for one so i have not tried it yet

i have taken to cutting off several each night with my bone cutters lol (cut as close to base as possible). my rock i cut them off looks better but its only been a few days, not sure if they will grow back. i used to just use my tongs and break them off haphazardly but they always grew back.

i've tried to epoxy/glue their tubes shut but this is impossible to do underwater it seems...

i HATE these things...

[goldmaniac]

That's right, yellow wrasse will eat them. OR... mine did.
I posted a thread about this about a month or two ago. He's since jumped out of the tank but I still stand by my observation.

here's the thread I posted:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1927977

get a small one. he was totally reef safe, was in my tank for over a year. The only issue was that my fat, plump mandarinfish was getting starved with competition by the wrasse. I would not suggest having both in the tank if you value your mandarinfish, like I do. He's gaining bulk again.

[bobbychullo]

thats the thread lol

i was too lazy to look for it :P

[GT_Jacket]

Thanks guys - Zeovit forum said I can go w/o any snails or hermits. My serpent stars and Coral Banded shrimp are fairly large - hopefully they can stand up to a "use with caution" wrasse...

[ravenmore]

I've been in the hobby for years and have never had vermitid snails cause any issues. Interesting.

[GT_Jacket]

Not causing me any great issues. Don't care for them growing on frag plugs, etc. It's more of a visual thing.

[Justdrew]

Just today I got fed up with the vermetid snails and pulled all of my rock for the "reincarnation" process of bleach and acid. I have had a yellow coris wrasse for 2 years and my rocks are completely covered. He never touched them. I have peppermint shrimp, skunk cleaner shrimp, emerald crabs, but nothing would ever get rid of them. I am talking snail numbers in the thousands. I am unable to handle the rock with out gloves on. Hopefully this works or I will be replacing the rock.

Later
Drew

[becon776]

Jist drew are u still out there? Same boat wondering what your thoughts are a decade later

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[becon776]

Ps coris wrasse dont do a dang thing

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[mcgyvr]

Nothing really does.. Manual removal or sealing them up with glue is basically the only option..

I pull the rock and use needle nose pliers to just smash the heck out of them and pull as much of their hard tube off as I can..
The corals can tolerate the quick time in air without issues..

[becon776]

Too many of them for that the big gus are np to clip but the little guys jist thousands of em

[canadianeh]

do vermetid snails move around, or they fixed to rocks?

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by canadianeh

do vermetid snails move around, or they fixed to rocks?

fixed..

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

fixed..

i think mine grows back after I mutilated and remove the rock partially. Is it possible that they are embedded on the rest of the surface and just waiting for the right moment to arise?

[LowHangingFruit]

I've rid my rocks of vermetid snails by dipping them in a separate container with a mixture of tank water and hydrogen peroxide. This will also kill any algae. Depending on the type of coral, it can make it through this dip as well.

[Rich1Reef]

I'm in the middle of a new build because of these things.